Lalla Salma Hosts International Conference on Cancer Control

Princess Lalla Salma chaired on Thursday in Marrakech, in the presence of Princesses and First Ladies from the the Middle East and Africa, a conference on Cancer Control in the Middle-East and Africa.

Image from MAP

Held by the the Lalla Salma Association for the Fight Against Cancer, in partnership with the Health Ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO), the conference was themed, “What strategy for preventing cervical cancer and facilitating cooperation and access to healthcare in the Middle-East and Africa?”

The Princess proposed in her speech during the opening ceremony the setting up of a Middle East and Africa regional fund for cancer prevention and treatment, and the African Oncology School. With a view to achieving the lofty objective of setting up an international fund for cancer treatment and prevention, “I suggest that we start with the creation of a Middle East and Africa regional fund for cancer prevention and treatment,” Princess Lalla Salma said.

Princess Ghida of Jordan, for her part, praised the tireless efforts of the Lalla Salma Association to Fight Against Cancer. In attendence were also Princess Dina of Jordan; Sylvia Bango Odimba, Gabon’s First Lady; Constancia Mangue de Obiang, First Lady of Equatorial Guinea; Sika Kaboré, wife of the President of the National Assembly of Burkina Faso;Malika Issofou Mahamadou, First Lady of Niger, and Conde Djénné Kaba, First Lady of Guinea.

Lalla Salma hosted on Thursday night a banquet offered by King Mohammed VI in honor of the participants in the conference. Princess Lalla Salma along with the princesses and first ladies visited the oncology and haematology center at the Mohammed VI University Hospital on Friday, which also includes an oncology day hospital, a chemotherapy unit and a program for drugs management.

The conference ended on Saturday with the adoption of a report called “Marrakech Call.” This document was presented to Princess Lalla Salma, Princesses Ghida and Dina of Jordan and first ladies during the closing ceremony of the event.